


You Said Fur Is Okay

by orphan_account



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, HR has a good time, Joe is Suffering, Julian does not, Poor Cisco, STAR Labs gets a new pup, Wally pls, dog hijinks, poor joe, speedsters love animals, there's also a snake, this boy just won't stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:34:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9538079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Wally keeps bringing home animals he finds on the street. Then he gets Macaroni.





	1. How can you say no to that face?

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a conversation I had with a friend had on Tumblr.

It was around midmorning when Wally came across him. He was digging through a dumpster in an alley and throwing things everywhere. The dog was easily the biggest dog Wally had ever seen and Wally immediately knew he needed him.

"Hey, buddy." Wally smiled as he crouches down, waiting for the dog to come to him. He knew better than to reach out to the dog (That was a good way to get bitten). Wally couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face when the dog slowly came over to him. "You hungry, boy?" He reached into the bag to pull out his lunch. Sure, it was what he planned to eat today, but the dog clearly needed it more.

The dog seemed more eager to meet him once Wally pulled out the sandwich. The dog's tail started wagging as he eagerly took the sandwich from him. Wally waited a little while for the dog to finish before moving to pet the dog, subtly searching for a collar under all that fur.

"You don't have an owner, boy?" Wally bit his lip. He wanted to take the dog home, but he knew Dad would kill him. Was it worth it?

Wally looked at the dog for a moment before deciding. He was definitely worth it.

"Well, it's decided then. You're coming home with me." Wally grinned, scratching the dog behind the ear. "Now what should I name you?" He stopped for a few seconds, squinting down at the dog. "Captain? Rex?" He shook his head. "No. Neither of those."

It took him a good ten minutes of petting the dog before he figured it out. "Macaroni! Your name will be Macaroni." Wally grinned, slowly standing up with Macaroni. "Come on, boy. Let's go home. You need a bath." Macaroni gave a happy bark before deciding to follow Wally. Now he just had to convince his father to let him stay...

\------

It started with a kitten. When Wally brought the little ball of fur home Joe had a hard time saying no. She was adorable and fluffy and made the cutest sounds so he was almost sad to see her leave. He didn't dwell too much on it, though.

Over the next few months, Joe would have to turn away several different animals. Most of them were kittens or puppies.

Then there was The Snake.

It was a short encounter, but it was one that definitely shaved a few years off his life. He had been watching TV in his sweats when he felt something _slither_ over his foot. If asked he would deny the sound that left him in that moment.

Things like that weren't supposed to happen to a man in his own house.

After that Joe made it a rule that no animal with scales was to be allowed in his house.

Things were fine for awhile; Wally hadn't brought any animals home in a couple months and Joe didn't have to clean up after any overexcited puppies. He was almost getting comfortable.

Then Macaroni arrived.

Macaroni was a 160 pound monster of a dog that would surely be his doom. The second Joe walked through the door he was knocked to the ground by soaking a wet dog. He was already being assaulted with slobbery dog kisses.

"Wally!" He shouts, knowing his son was behind this. A crash preceded the sound of his son running down the steps. Joe was soaking wet by the time Wally came into sight.

"Hey, Dad! So you've met Macaroni." Wally sounded nervous, and rightfully so. Joe was _not_ happy. "You said fur is okay, remember? See, I named him. We can't get rid of him now. You can't get rid of a dog after you've named him."

"Wally, no," Joe said as he finally managed to stand up. "We _cannot_ have a dog this big in the house. Who would walk him? He probably weighs more than you do!"

"Yeah, but he's well behaved! He'd be fine." Wally insists, running a hand through the dog's long fur, though he quickly pulled away when he remembered how wet the dog was. It was clear that his son had already bonded with the animal. "C'mon Dad. Macaroni will be okay."

"Where did you even _find_ him?" Joe's voice was incredulous. How did you even find a dog that big? The dog was almost as big as he was. Joe couldn't imagine Macaroni just hanging out in the streets.

"I found him digging through a dumpster on my way to meet a friend. I gave him my lunch." Wally smiles and Joe has a hard time saying no to it. This was clearly different than the other times.

"Wally, we can't." Joe sighs. "You know that. I'm sorry."

"What about STAR Labs?" Joe pauses at the suggestion. That... could actually work. If Cisco and Caitlin agreed to it, of course. They would have to change a few things, but it could really improve the mood there.

"Okay, but you have to be the one to ask them."

Joe would never forget the happy sound Wally made in that moment.


	2. Whoops there goes the wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco decides to give things with Macaroni a test run. Wally and HR are determined to make sure it goes off without a hitch.

Sometimes Cisco hated Barry just a little. You'd think that after almost three years in the vigilante business that Barry would know how to repair his own suit. Or better yet, not damage it in the first place.

Cisco was so focused that he almost fell out of his chair when a loud bark echoed through the lab. It took him a moment to realise what that meant, but when he did he quickly got out of his chair.

"Oh, no. Nu-uh. Who said you could bring him in here? We got breakable stuff laying around, dude!" Cisco exclaimed. He was willing to put up with a lot but he drew the line at dogs the size of bears.

Wally put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Okay, look: I know this seems like a bad idea, but think about how nice it'll be to have a dog in the labs! He could be like, I don't know, a guard dog. People are scared of big dogs! I bet even Weather Wizard would hesitate coming here if he knew we had a dog like Macaroni!" Wally says quickly.

There were several questions swirling around in his head, but in the end, Cisco just stared at Wally for a minute. On one hand, it really would be nice to at least have a watchdog in case someone like Snart decided to break in. On the other hand, however, keeping a dog in a lab was a bad idea for several reasons.

He was just about to respond when HR and Caitlin walked into the room.

"Since when do we have a dog?" HR sounded delighted, to no one's surprise. Caitlin wasn't quite as enthusiastic as HR, but she still had a smile on her face. "I haven't seen a dog in years! They're not as common on my earth as you'd think." He says, walking up and crouching down in front of Macaroni. "What's his name?"

"His name's Macaroni." Wally grins. "I found him yesterday digging through a trashcan. Don't worry, I gave him a bath before bringing him here."

"Well aren't you a beautiful boy." HR smiled and ruffled Macaroni's fur. He looked happier than Cisco had ever seen him, and Cisco's seen HR pretty happy.

Cisco wanted to say he couldn't stay. He really did. But he couldn't. Not after even Caitlin decided to crouch down next to the animal.

"This is a trial run, okay? If he causes too much trouble then he has to go." Cisco agrees reluctantly.

"Yes! You won't regret it, Cisco, I promise." Wally assures him happily. Cisco wasn't so sure, but it was too late to change his mind now.

\------

You've never seen determination until you've seen a dog tear a hole in a wall. Julian was torn between being fascinated and horrified.

What were you even supposed to _do_ when something like this happened?

He had intervened twice already but Macaroni had never been too fond of him so he didn't want to press his luck.  
When it happened a third time Julian just sat down and watched. He'd let Wally and HR give it a try once they got down here since they were apparently the resident dog wranglers.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said he was chewing through the wall," Wally says, his eyebrows shooting up.

Macaroni had indeed managed to chew through the wall. The impressive part was when he first started; now he was just tearing pieces of the wall off.

Of course, once HR called his name he stopped. Suck up.

"Very good. Now, what do you expect to do about the large hole in the wall? I believe that's the big question of the hour." Julian says dryly.

"Barry and I can get some books from the library and patch it up no problem. No need to tell Cisco about this." Wally says, clearly trying for a smile, even if it did come off as a grimace.

Ah.

"Right. This'll just stay between us three, I take it?" He says, raising one eyebrow. He could keep a secret if necessary, even if he did think the matter was rather silly.

"Right! Just between us. Thanks a lot, Julian." Wally really did manage a smile this time at least.

"Well, it looks like you two have this under control, so I'll be taking my leave. Good luck to you both." Julian say, pushing himself to his feet.

He manages a small wave as he walks away to his original destination. He wonders if they'll remember about all the security cameras that were posted everywhere. In any case, at least it wasn't his problem anymore.

\------

The second museum opening went off without a hitch. It turns out that giving a school a big discount is enough to warrant a field trip.

The new and improved hologram was a hit. The kids kept putting their hands through it and giggling happily at the result. Actually, the entire thing was a success, even if there was a surprise half way through.

It turns out that somebody left the door open just enough that Macaroni managed to push his way through.

And oh didn't the kids love that. There were several happy shrieks once Macaroni made himself known. A few of the kids stayed back, of course, but the majority of them ran up to the large dog.

HR was hit with an idea as he watched the children.

"I am so happy you all like our furry friend here." He smiles. "This is Macaroni, the official STAR Labs mascot." He says, running his fingers through the dogs fur.

This way Francisco wouldn't be able to get rid of Macaroni so easily if the dog upset him. Like if he ate a wall again.

"We're all very fond of him. He's quite the gentle giant, isn't he?" HR says happily.

It turns out that Macaroni loved kids to death. He played with them well without ever being too rough. After making sure that there would be no problems HR made his way over to Francisco and the others.

"Well, I'd call this a success, wouldn't you?" He smiles, clapping his hands together.

\------

In the end, Cisco allowed Macaroni to stay permanently, even if it was due to peer pressure. Macaroni even ended up getting his own Flash-themed collar.


End file.
